Man allegedly stabs 4 people in 3 hours in Melbourne
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SYDNEY – Police in the Australian state of Victoria said on Jan 7 that a 31-year-old man was arrested at about 1.15am, following a series of stabbings that caused four injuries in Melbourne’s inner-city suburbs overnight.
He allegedly stabbed four people in three separate random attacks over a three-hour period from about 10pm on Jan 6 to about 12.30am on Jan 7.
The stabbings are not believed to be related to terrorism, the statement added.
According to British news outlet The Guardian, the man has been charged with 14 assault offences and one count of possessing a controlled weapon.
The victims were taken to hospital. A 24-year-old man had a non-life-threatening leg injury, a 31-year-old woman had life-threatening injuries, a 31-year-old man had a serious arm injury, and a 31-year-old foreign man had non-life-threatening leg injuries.
Detectives connected the incidents after reviewing CCTV footage, Detective Senior Sergeant Andrew Eyries told The Guardian.
The police recovered a backpack allegedly containing “multiple edged weapons” during the arrest, he added.
The police are investigating if a fourth stabbing where a 28-year-old man sustained torso and leg injuries at about 9pm on Jan 6 is also linked to the man.
Mr Eyries said the attacks were “completely random”, and the accused was showing signs of mental health issues or drug or alcohol use, or both.
“On each occasion, the victims were minding their own business, they wouldn’t have even known that they were about to be attacked.” XINHUA